Ironing machine



May 19, 1936. T 2,040,936

IRONING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1932 2 Sheets-Shet i v lIlHlrllllHllllllllIHIIIIHIIIIIHH urn H. L. HART IRONING MACHINE May 19, 1936.

Patented May 19, 1936 UNITED STATES IRONING MACHDNE Harold L. Hart, River Forest, 111., assignor to Electric Household Utilities Corporation, Chi cago, Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application April 2, 1932, Serial No. 602,764

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ironing machines and its purpose is to provide a new type of ironing machine in which the ironing elements have relative reciprocatory movements similar to the movement of a flatiron over an ironing board in the operation of ironing manually. Heretofore, power-driven ironing machines have usually been of that type in which a rotatable power-driven roll cooperates with a relative- 1y movable shoe but such machines, while successful for most classes of work, are not capable of being built in very small sizes and are not well adapted for some classes of ironing. Pressing machines have heretofore been provided wherein two fiat plates have been mounted to compress between them the article to be pressed but these flat plates have had no relative reciprocatory movement parallel to their contacting surfaces and have been suited only for the pressing of men's suits and the like.

- The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new form of machine in which two ironing elements, having flat parallel ironing surfaces, are adapted to have relative reciproca- "tory movement parallel to these surfaces so that the machine retains the advantages of manual operations with the flatiron while obtaining the additional advantages of power operation and simplicity of construction and operation, as compared with other power-drivenmachines. A further object of the invention is to provide an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively movable plates extending horizontally and having means for reciprocating one of said plates parallel to the surface of the other. A further object of the invention is to provide an ironing machine comprising two relatively movable ironing elements in the form of two fiat plates in 4 combination with means for efiecting relative reciprocation of said plates parallel to the planes of their ironing surfaces and means for separating said plates to permit the insertion of clothes therebetween. Still another object is to provide 45 an ironing machine of the type referred to in which the ironing plates may be separated Without discontinuing the reciprocatory motion of one of said plates. A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient form of 50 driving mechanism for efiecting relative reciproc-atory movement of two ironing elements.

Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

55 3 The nature of the invention will be understoodv ironing machine with a portion thereof broken 5 away;

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the ironing machine illustrated in Fig. 1, with a part thereof shown in vertical section;

Fig. 3 shows a detail section taken on the line 10 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a transverse vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged horizontal detail section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; 15

Fig. 6 shows a transverse vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 shows a top plan view of the clutch member by which the separation of the ironing elements is controlled. 20

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in an ironing machine comprising a base or casing In which is adapted to rest upon a table or the like and which comprises an enlarged front portion Hi of rectangular outline ll comprises an inner metal plate ll having mounted thereon and secured thereto a covering II of suitable fabric adapted to engage the clothes to be ironed. The other plate I2 is of hollow construction and has mounted therein an electric heating. element provided with terminals I3 which are connected in an electric circuit, not illustrated, so that the plate I2 may be heated during the ironing operation. The plate ll of the lower ironing element has secured thereto four vertical supporting posts I4 which are adapted to slide in the tubular bores l5 formediin the top wall of the casing. The casing I0 is provided with bosses Hi beneath these apertures I5, forming recesses in which are mounted coil springs 56 to engage the reduced lower extremities 14 of the posts M. The ironing element II 7 element l2, it is connected to an arm or. lever Hi 7 vby means of a pin l9 which passes through the extremity of this lever and through a pair of ears |2 extending upwardly from a boss |2 formed 5,, on the central part of the upper side of the plate I2. The lever 8 is turned downwardly at the end thereof opposite the pivot pin I 9 and extends between the two bars 2| of a lever 2| on which it is pivotally supported by a pin-2|l. These bars .10 extend downwardly through slots ||l formed in the upper wall III? of the rearward extension of the casing; A hub 22 is secured to this top wall Ill between the bars 2| of the lever 2 I and these bars are pivoted on this hub by means of a transverse pin or rivet 23; A filler block 24 is mounted between the lower ends of the bars 2| and a pin 25, passing through this block and the. ends of the 'bars, serves toestablish a pivotal connection between the lever 2| and the head 26 .of a connecting rod 26 which is actuated, in the mannerhereinafter described, to actuate the lever I8 and' thereby impart a reciprocatory ironing motion to the plate. l2.

V'The arm or lever '|8 has a short arm H! exttending from the pivot pin 20 toward the front portion ll! of the casing and this short arm pro- J'ects between two bar's'2'l of a link 2-! which passes downwardly throughth'e slot ||l in the top wall of the casing. The link21 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the arm I8 of the lever by means of a pin 28 and at its lower end it is pivotally connected by a pin' 29 to the two side plates 30* of a bell crank lever 30. These. plates 30* extend on opposite sidesof an ear 3| which is formed on the under side of the top wall III of the rearward extension of the casing and are pivotally connected theretobya pin 32. The lower extremities of these triangular plates 30 are pivotally co'nnected by another pin '33 to the head ;:34 of another connecting rod 34 which is adapted to be actuated in the manner hereinafter described to effect movement of the ironing element or plate l2 toward and from'the lower ironing element A sheet metal housing I1 is mounted on the top of the wall ||l of the rear extension of the casing to enclose the rear ex- 7 tremity of the lever I8 and the upper parts of the members 2| and 21, thus preventing engagement of the clothes with the operating mechanism.

5( This housing I! has an opening in its upper wall through which the lever l8 extends.

The two connecting rods 26 and 34 are actuated by a common shaft 35 which is journaled in bearings 36, carried'by one end wall of the casing III and by a' parallel division wall III which is spaced inwardly from the other end wall. The shaft 35 is adapted to be driven through a train of gearing by an electric motor 36 which is se- 'cured to the last-named end wall of the casing with' its shaft 31 journaled in a'bearing 38 carried by this endwall. A pinion 39, secured upon the end of the shaft 31 and journaled upon the rev duced' extremity 35. of the shaft 35, is arranged to mesh with a gear 4|] secured upon a counter- !.shaft 4| having bearings 42 carried by the division wall I6 and the adjacent end wall of the casing. This shaft 4| alsohas secured thereon apinion 43 which meshes with a gear 44 secured 7 on the shaft 35 so that when the motor 36 is in' :"operation. the shaft 35 is continuously, driven at a reduced speed as compared with' the'speed of V r the motor shaft. The shaft 35 has an eccentric 45 secured thereon by a pin 46 and this eccentric is provided with an annular groove 45 engaged by an eccentric strap .46 provided with projectin ears '46 which are secured together by a screw The eccentric strap 46 is provided with a 41. head 46 having a threaded socket which is engaged by the threaded extremity of the connect-v ing rod 2650 that the effective length of the con- -necting rod may be varied. The parts are held in adjusted position by a lock nut '48 'When the shaft 35 rotates,. the eccentric 45 is continuously driven to actuate the lever 2| through the connecting rod 26 and thereby oscillate the lever l8 about the pin 28 to cause a reciprocating motion of the ironing plate I2 over the lower ironing element or table The other connecting rod 34 is adapted to be actuated by another eccentric 50 which is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 35 and spaced from theeccentric 45 by a washer 5|. The eccentric 50 is provided with an annular groove projecting from the side'of a clutch member 56;

Coil springs 51- which are mounted in the recesses 5|] engage the ends of the pins '55 and thus force the clutch member 56 away from the eccentric 50, the clutch member being rotatably and slidably mounted upon the shaft 35. The

springs 51 also servejto. maintain the eccentric 50 in position against the washer 5|.. 'I'heclutch member 56 comprises an annular gear 56 hav-,

ing teeth which are'adapted to mesh with the internal annular gear teeth 56 of a complementary clutch member 58'secured upon the shaft 35 by a pin 59. When the teeth of the gear 56* engage the teeth 58 of the clutch member 58,

a driving connection is established between the V shaft 35 and the eccentric 5|) through the intermediate clutch member so thatcthe connecting rod 34 is then actuated by theeccentric 50 to'rock the bell crank lever 36 and thereby cause the link 21 to move the lever l8 aboutthe. pivot pin 2|] for the. purpose of raising or lowering the ironing plate |2 with respect to the lower plate I I. 'f V The movement of the clutch member 56 for the purpose of controlling the driving connection between the shaft 35 and the eccentric 50 is manually controlled by a finger bar 60 carried at the front of the casing l0 upon a pair of arms 6| which extend through slots inthe front wall of the casing and are secured upon a shaft 62 having its ends journaled in bearings carried by one end wall of the casing and the transverse division wall'lO he shaft 62 has another armor lever 63 secured thereon and pro- 7 vided with a roller 63 vwhichis adapted to engage an annular cam slot 56 formed in the annularv face of the clutch member 56. .A coil spring 65 is connected to one of the arms 6| and tothe top wall ||I of the casing, as shown in Fig. 3, sothat it normally forces the roller 63 into engagement with the clutch member.56.i

The cam slot 56 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed portions 56 which project,

away from the adjacent eccentric 50 so that when the roller 63 is in engagement with the slot 56 at one of the points 56, the clutch member 56 is held in its retracted position, disconnected from the clutch member 58, thus permitting the shaft 35 to rotate without operating the eccentric 50. When the Operator depresses the finger bar 60, the roller 63" is elevated out of engagement with the cam slot 56, thus allowing the springs 51 to force the clutch member 56 into driving engagement with the clutch member 58, whereupon the eccentric 50 is rotated and the shoe or plate I2 is raised or lowered through the operation of the connecting rod 34 in rocking the bell crank lever 30 and thereby tilting the lever I8 about the pivot pin 20. If the finger bar 60 be immediately released, after being thus depressed, the spring 65 will operate to return the roller 63 into engagement with the clutch member 56 so that it will again drop into engagement with the groove 56 and thus operate, at the end of a half-revolution of the eccentric 50, to withdraw the clutch member 56 from its driving engagement with the clutch member 58 and thus hold the plate or shoe l2 in either its retracted position or its ironing position, depending upon the direction in which it has just been moved. Assuming that the ironing shoe has just been elevated by its operation, it re'' mains elevated until the operator has inserted the. clothes between the members II and I2, whereupon the finger bar 60 is again depressed to raise the roller 63- out of the cam slot 56 and permit the clutch members 56 and 58 to engage each other again. If the finger bar 60 be immediately released, the roller 63 will again automatically engage the slot 56* and thus cause the disengagement of the clutch members at the end of another half-revolution when the ironing shoe [2 will have been restored to its ironing position. Of course, if the finger bar 60 be depressed and held in that position for a considerable time, the plate or shoe l2 will continue to be raised and lowered without interruption until the finger bar is released. The parts are so constructed that when the plate or shoe I2 is in its lower ironing position, it engages the clothes on the plate II with considerable pressure and the plate II is therefore resiliently mounted so that it may yield somewhat under the pressure of the plate I2 and accommodate itself to the thickness of the clothes being ironed. As soon as the plate I2 is lowered, with the clothes in position on the plate H, the reciprocatory motion of the plate 12, which continues as long as the motor 36 is in operation, begins the ironing movement, and this is continued until the finger bar 60 is again depressed to cause the shoe 12 to be elevated.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in an ironing machine, of a horizontal ironing plate, a second plate mounted over said first named plate, a single lever connected to and supporting said second named plate, an upwardly extending support pivotally mounted at its intermediate point and having its upper end pivotally connected to and supporting said lever, and reciprocating means connected to the lower end of said support and movable horizontally for effecting a reciprocating motion thereof to cause said second named plate to move back and forth in a horizontal plane over said first named plate.

2. The combination in an ironing machine, of

a casing. adapted to rest upon'a table, an ironing plate mounted on said casing, anironing shoe disposed above said plate, a lever having one end pivotally connected to an intermediate part of said shoe, an upwardly extendingactuating lever pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first named lever, means for pivotally supporting said actuating lever at an intermediate point, and power driven means connected to the free end of said actuating lever and having a reciprocating motion horizontally for imparting a reciprocating motion in-a horizontal plane to said ironing shoe.

3. The combination in an ironing machine, of a pair of cooperating ironing plates having flat ironing surfaces, an arm connected to one of said plates, an operating shaft, a driving motor having a connection for continuously rotating said shaft, means comprising an eccentric driven by said shaft for continuously actuating said arm to reciprocate one of said ironing plates parallel to the surface of the other ironing plate,'means comprising another eccentric rotatably mounted on said shaft for actuating said arm to eifect relative movement of said plates toward and from each other, a clutch for controlling the driving connection between said last named eccentric and said operating shaft, and manually operated means for controlling the actuation of said clutch.

4. The combination in an ironing machine, of a portable casing adapted to rest upon a table, an ironing element mounted on said casing, a second ironing element positioned above said first named ironing element, an arm connected to said second named ironing element and extending horizontally rearward therefrom, said arm having its rear end turned downwardly, said down-turned portion having a forward projection, a supporting lever pivotally connected to said down-turned portion of said arm, another member pivotally connected to said forward extension of said arm, and means for actuating said supporting lever to rock said arm about said last named member and thereby reciprocate said second named ironing element over the surface of said first named ironing element.

5. The combination in an ironing machine, of a portable casing adapted to rest upon a table. an-ironing element mounted on said casing, a second ironing element positioned above said first named ironing element, an arm connected to said second named ironing element and extending horizontally rearward therefrom, said arm having its rear end turned downwardly, said downturned portion having a forward projection, a supporting lever pivotally connected to said downturned portion of said arm, another member pivotally connected to said forward extension of said arm, an operating shaft in said casing, an eccentric mounted on said shaft, and means connecting said eccentric with said supporting lever for rocking said supporting lever about its pivot and thereby actuating said arm about said member.

6. The combination in an ironing machine, of a portable casing adapted to rest upon a table, an ironing element mounted on said casing, a second ironing element positioned above said first named ironing element, an arm connected to said second named ironing element and extending horizontally rearward therefrom, said arm having its rear end turned downwardly, said downturned portion having a forward projection, a supporting lever pivotally connected to said downturned portion of said arm, another member pivotally connected to said forward extension of said arm, means for actuatingsaid supporting lever to rock said arm about said last named member and. thereby reciprocate said second named ironing element over the surface of said first named ironing element, and means for actuating saidv member to tilt said arm about said supporting lever and thereby move said second named ironing element toward and from said first named ironing element.

7 7. The combination in an ironing machine, of a portable casing adapted to rest upon a table, an ironing element mounted on said casing, a second ironing element positioned above said first named ironing element, an operating arm connected to said second named element and extending rearwardly therefrom, a pair of supporting members each having a pivotal connection with said arm, means for actuating one of said supporting members to reciprocate said second named ironing element parallel to the surface of said first named ironing element, and. means for actuating the other of said supporting members to move said second named ironing element toward and from said first named ironing element. 7

8. The combination in an ironing machine, of

a casing, an ironing element mounted on said casing, a second ironing element positioned above said first named ironing element, an operating arm 'pivotally connected to said second named ironing element, an operating shaft in said casing, a pair of eccentrics mounted on said shaft;

connections from one of saide'ccentrics to said arm for efiecting a reciprocating motion of said second named ironing element over the surface of 7 said first named ironing element, and means including connections from the other of said eccentrics tosaid arm for efiecting relative separation of said ironing elements. V

' 9. The combination in an ironing machine, of a pair of. ironing plates having fiat cooperating ironing surfaces, means including an eccentric for efiecting relative movement of said plates toward and from each other, a driving motor, means including complementary clutch members for forming a driving connection between said eccentric and said motonmeans tending normal' 1y to eifect engagement of said clutch member,

a manually operated member for controlling thev disengagement of said clutch members, and independent means actuated by said motor for eifecting a relative reciprocating'motion of said ironing plates in parallel planes.

HAROLD L. HART. 

